Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-02-16

lace, ''Clear yourself, you young
scamp!" he ordered.
Flushing savagely the boy caught |
something from his side, but Thomp-
sons powerful hand was on his arm.
''What do you mean, you little
fool?" he cried. "Was this what you
came here for? Jes' you ride home ez
fast ez you kin CO." he added, taking
him aside, "an' for Gods sake don't
let your folks know of this. I'll not
tell"
''Ef it had been any one but Jimmy"
the gOod-humored fellow,
as he went back to his companions,
81 shouldn't have cared. Jake amt
very pretty, anyhow, an | reckon
he'd make better lookin' angel than
anything else."
Jim, meantime, mounted and rode
off, without looking back. Angry
tears forced themselves to his eyes as
he pressed on, taking no note of the
road until December sunset flames
burned out along the horizon. The
sudden twilight warned him to seek
some shelter for the night, which al
ready promised to be colders than
usual. He rode up s. deep gulch, dis
mounted, fastened his pony and made
g. brush fire, luckily finding q few
matches in his pocket. Then he
leaned against the bank and thought
over the days events. Fiery thoughts
he had, until another idea made it's
entrance into his brain, cooling them
off g. little.
"What right had you there at all"
4o1 w h "a a,
Elective faculty takes her place in g.
boys mind. Had he not started out
to find poor little Kitty, who was now
perhaps through his fault lying stiff
and cold somewhere on the broad
prairie? Jim liked Kitty Nichols.
suppose any rough but kind-hearted
boy would have liked such q pretty,
blue-eyed mite, when she came running
to meet him with unfailing delight.
Her folks were neighbors and she was
their only little girl. His heart re-
preached him for having left her to her
fate.
"Oh, well, they've surely found her
by this time," he reasoned uneasily;
then, heaping up the fire, fell asleep.
He awoke shivering with more than
cold. He thought that, finding Kitty
asleep, he had called her to rise and
come home, when lean, gray wolf
bounded upon her. He seized it by
the throat. but had not the strength
to strange it, and dared not let GO.
Though near home he was unable to
speak aloud, either to call help or
wake the sleeping child, while the air
was hideous with the sharp cries of
advancing wolves. When heshook off
this nightmare, his comfort was not
increased by hearing the yells of his
dream multiply around him, and see-
ing well-known dark figures stink over
the bills. A light snow had sifted
down during the night, and the world
showed ghostly white in the cold, gray
dawn. With much difficulty jimmy
coaxed the damp wood to q blaze, and
hung over it IN hungry remembrance
of the warm home breakfasts.
The sun had scarcely risen above
the low hills when watery-looking
clouds obscured the whole sky, and a
chill wind whistled through the bushes.
Jim got the pony and started for
home. On fresh, cool mornings exer-
else of any kind is delightful, and he
had not gone far before his spirits
were considerably heightened.
Crossing 81 gully his quick eye dis
cerned mark on the other side. 1t
was a chiId's footprint in the snow.
He followed it up and found chain OF
such prints. But all around, inter
secting it in places, were the tracks OF
the prairie wolves.
Just then the ground shook as the
| band of mounted herders swept past.
Jake alone refined up beside him. His
( face showed that he had been drink
| ing.
"Don't you wish you hadn't lost
your chance of catching Old Abe?" he
sneered.
GIVE as good a chance asyou have,
but I've something better to do" the
boy returned, tracing the tracks as he
spoke. Jake looked at him q moment:
then, seeing how far the others were
ahead, spurred his broncho into Joining
| them.
Left to himself, Jim moved along
watching the ground with intense in
terest. Last night she was alive, then
and he might still find her. The light
snow, however, rapidly disappearing
L
Startled by the well-known rush Of
hoofs and clamor of voices, he hurried
his pony to point whence he could
see the chase. Straight onward flies the
Infatuated steer, holly pursued by the
herders. They have nearly run him
down. The mighty head is lowered
the fierce eyes haggard and the muscles
tense with exertion. It is easy to see
that he is near his end; easy to know
also, that his last struggle will be a
desperate one.
| Lifting his head, Old Abe glared
around him; then lowering his horns
made sudden sweep to the right at
an object AoV wenty yards away
Good Heavengl 1t was the light dress
and yellow hair of little Kitty Mich
OILS. A general shout rose. More than
one revolver was drawn, but the shot
was withheld for fear of hitting the
wrong mark.
Jake had the only chance, and he
was equal to the emergency. HesWuns